Verizon Blocks GPS Use On Blackberrys
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Apparently Verizon Wireless has taken it upon themselves to block all Blackberry GPS use. The ONLY way to get any form of GPS on your phone is by downloading Verizon"s horrible VZ Navigator, by far one of the worst apps I've ever used. This means no GPS in Google Maps, Flickr, Foursquare, etc etc. At first i thought the problem was with my middle-aged curve 8330, but no. Wouldn't mind if VZ Navigator was in any way workable, but it is literally the worst app I've downloaded onto my phone yet by FAR. This discovery follows on the heels (for me at least) of the sad realization that Verizon is ALSO now beginning to add a REQUIRED $10 a month data charge to all non-smartphones with any kind of web browser built in to them (pretty much all phones put out recently). And yes, this $10 data plan has a monthly cap of only 25 MB!!! any data usage after that is something like 25 cents PER MB!!! I think a class-action lawsuit is in order here. I'm not even kidding. When I pay nearly $400 for a smartphone I expect to be able to use ALL features it includes. Anyone out there with any advice for me to help get this legal ball rolling PLEASE contact me at [email protected]. Thank you!04-19-10 11:56 PMLike 0 -
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It's not on all blackberries. The storm storm2 and tour gps' work 100%.
It has something to do with them being world phones.Last edited by JustinD2473; 04-20-10 at 12:13 AM.
04-20-10 12:08 AMLike 0 -
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For a class action, you have to have a class, and show damage from the fact that you can't use GPS for another app on the phone. I am fairly certain this is not correct, as I can use Blackberry Maps with GPS Navigation. It worked with Ubertwitter, and geo-tagging for photos.Apparently Verizon Wireless has taken it upon themselves to block all Blackberry GPS use. The ONLY way to get any form of GPS on your phone is by downloading Verizon"s horrible VZ Navigator, by far one of the worst apps I've ever used. This means no GPS in Google Maps, Flickr, Foursquare, etc etc. At first i thought the problem was with my middle-aged curve 8330, but no. Wouldn't mind if VZ Navigator was in any way workable, but it is literally the worst app I've downloaded onto my phone yet by FAR. This discovery follows on the heels (for me at least) of the sad realization that Verizon is ALSO now beginning to add a REQUIRED $10 a month data charge to all non-smartphones with any kind of web browser built in to them (pretty much all phones put out recently). And yes, this $10 data plan has a monthly cap of only 25 MB!!! any data usage after that is something like 25 cents PER MB!!! I think a class-action lawsuit is in order here. I'm not even kidding. When I pay nearly $400 for a smartphone I expect to be able to use ALL features it includes. Anyone out there with any advice for me to help get this legal ball rolling PLEASE contact me at [email protected]. Thank you!
You are not damaged by not using, or not being able to use services not offered by a carrier. Worst case, you could have a deactivated phone and you could still dial 911 with it. Other than that...there's no case. The all you-can-eat package is with Sprint. My suggestion is that you shop it, and check it out. T-Mobile also has some more inclusive plans. My understanding is that AT&T enables Telenav on their Blackberries, but it still costs an extra $10 per month...so...there it is...04-20-10 12:09 AMLike 0 -
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ChrisySeeker of the WayStorm 1 GPS is not locked also. Only on older VZW BlackBerry phones is the GPS locked. There's already a huge thread about a class action suit. i recommend you upgrade your BlackBerry if you want unlocked GPS. OR you can buy an external GPS puck and you'll be able to use apps that utilize GPS with your 8330.
Your 8330's GPS will also work with BlackBerry Maps which is free.
You're going to find that most audible turn by turn GPS apps have either a monthly or yearly fee (Garmin, Telenav) VZ Nav is one of the best GPS apps that offer audible turn by turn.
Do a search and you'll discover many threads on this topic. http://forums.crackberry.com/f71/ope...ed-gps-136922/
http://forums.crackberry.com/f61/bes...gps-help-6804/
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com04-20-10 05:33 AMLike 0 -
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jeffhRetired ModeratorHere's a link to the thread Chrisy520 referred to: http://forums.crackberry.com/f41/gps...0-update-1279/.
As Chrisy and others noted, it's only 8830 and 8330 Verizon devices that are affected, and the GPS in those models works with BBMaps, Bing, VZNav, and possibly other apps as well. Google Maps is the notable exception.04-20-10 05:38 AMLike 0 -
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Wow, talk about old news. The required data plan sucks, but it's where things are headed. You can always get a regular cell phone that does messaging and calls without a data plan.
Get a curve 8530. It's got a fully functioning GPS. You can upgrade for $30.. free with the NE2 discount.
Give up on the class-action suit man, it's been tried, its not going anywhere. It's not going to be worth your time and even if it does succeed years down the line, you'll get like $10 for any and all time you put into it.04-20-10 10:39 AMLike 0 -
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Is Verizon Wireless disconnecting some phones from their BlackBerry service. I have a BlackBerry tour 9630 with Verizon Wireless as the carrier but the phone was sold to me in Nigeria and I had been using the BlackBerry Service until recently when the edge does not get to EDGE. The Local service provider Zain NG says there is nothing wrong with their service and that the problem may be with the carrier, VERIZON WIRELESS. Any assistance?04-20-10 12:55 PMLike 0 -
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Like I posted a few wks ago: go to Option - Status - then type in the word test. Check GPS box and run the test. It should work fine after that.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com04-20-10 01:18 PMLike 0 -
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Oh yay! Another ra-**** that wants to sue! I find it hard to take someone serious when they have "420" in their name...04-20-10 01:26 PMLike 0 -
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I find it hard to take anybody seriously if they have any number in their name, but I digress.
As far as the data plans go, RIM demands the tribute. You want the net, RIM gets their cut, because they provide the meat of the services at no small cost to themselves.
Want GPS with no data requirement? RIM sells phones directly, and your carrier can't restrict anything on them... at least not at the device level.
And $0.25 per megabyte is nice. AT&T charges $10.24 on the old pay-per-use features, and $2 per MB on the new ones... billed in advance starting with the first kilobyte used.04-20-10 01:53 PMLike 0 -
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You aren't kidding. not to boast Sprint or anything but we got everything at a good price... An I must say the Voice guided Sprint NAV is awesome, it also helps that it's FREE!.For a class action, you have to have a class, and show damage from the fact that you can't use GPS for another app on the phone. I am fairly certain this is not correct, as I can use Blackberry Maps with GPS Navigation. It worked with Ubertwitter, and geo-tagging for photos.
You are not damaged by not using, or not being able to use services not offered by a carrier. Worst case, you could have a deactivated phone and you could still dial 911 with it. Other than that...there's no case. The all you-can-eat package is with Sprint. My suggestion is that you shop it, and check it out. T-Mobile also has some more inclusive plans. My understanding is that AT&T enables Telenav on their Blackberries, but it still costs an extra $10 per month...so...there it is...04-20-10 02:10 PMLike 0 -
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04-20-10 02:21 PMLike 0 -
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Yeah, this is definitely old news. My new 8530's GPS works great!
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com04-22-10 12:19 AMLike 0 -
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The Curve 8330 has an aGPS chip, instead of a GPS chip like the rest of the newer BlackBerry phones. You can only use GPS with BlackBerry Maps and VZnav. That's it!! No other applications will work. You can use Google Maps, but it uses cell towers for location. So it gives an estimate of your location within a 2 mile radius. If I try to use Google Maps, it's gives my location, but it's no where near my actual location.
So it's basically useless.
I'll be upgrading soon, and can't wait.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com04-23-10 09:14 AMLike 0
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Verizon Blocks GPS Use On Blackberrys
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